Blast rocks Chinese village

At least 13 killed in early morning explosion in central Henan province.

27 Dec 2008 06:08 GMT

Separately, a lift carrying workers at a residential building being built in Changsha, Hunan province, crashed to the ground at around 7:30am, killing at least 17 and seriously injuring another, Xinhua said.

China's construction industry has been hit by a string of deadly accidents in the past months, including the collapse of a half-built subway tunnel in November that killed at least 17.

Officials have vowed to improve work safety, but industrial and mining accidents continue to kill thousands each year.